Page 11 - NAMAH-Apr-2021

Namah Viewing and treating others as the Divine

is quite different from what we normally “— He who has done even a little good to
experience and quite different from the way human beings, though he be the worst of
that we conduct our lives. If we accept this sinners, is accepted by God in the ranks of His
view of Reality, then our aim should be to lovers and servants. He shall look upon the face
realign our experience and our conduct of the Eternal (4).”
into better conformity with this ideal. Our
way of looking at the world, including our “— When I knew nothing, then I abhorred the
way of looking at others, must undergo criminal, sinful and impure, being myself full of
a significant, even a radical change. This crime, sin and impurity; but when I was cleansed
necessarily takes time, effort, discipline, and my eyes unsealed, then I bowed down in
perseverance and it takes the support and my spirit before the thief and the murderer and
the Grace of the Divine. Moreover, they adored the feet of the harlot; for I saw that these
have presented us with methods and with souls had accepted the terrible burden of evil
practical guidance in order to carry out and drained for all of us the greater portion of
this change. But before considering their the churned poison of the world-ocean (5).”
guidance for how to change, let us consider
in more detail the ideal with regard to our We get a more nuanced view of how we
relations with others into which we must should relate to others in the Letters on Yoga,
progressively grow. which has a substantial section devoted to the
subject. What is stressed there more strongly
Loving the Divine through others is the idea that love, harmony, and unity with
others, while important, come about as an
One of Sri Aurobindo’s writings which most outcome of love, harmony and unity with
strikingly emphasises the idea of the Divine the Divine, and that unity with the Divine
being in all and the experience of seeing the comes about as a result of the contact with
Divine in others is Thoughts and Aphorisms. and realisation of our psychic being and the
Here are a few aphorisms that convey that Divine immanent within ourselves. Therefore,
ideal and that experience: there is a stronger emphasis on living within
in our inner being, on communing with the
“— Love of man, love of woman, love of things, Divine within ourselves as a prerequisite
love of thy neighbour, love of thy country, love to relating to others as forms of the Divine.
of animals, love of humanity are all the love of While love, friendship, goodness, charity,
God reflected in these living images. So love generosity to others are highly valued, they
and grow mighty to enjoy all, to help all and are seen as a natural outflow from the soul
to love for ever (2).” or psychic being expressed through the
transformed instruments of the mind, vital,
“— Pity may be reserved, so long as thy makes and physical consciousness. At the same time,
distinctions, for the suffering animals; but the Letters show more clearly how normally
humanity deserves from thee something our relations with others are typically
nobler; it asks for love, for understanding, deformed and debased by the vital ego, and
for comradeship, for the help of the equal that this deformity must cease and make way
and brother (3).” for the deeper psychic feelings to come out.

11